2 huge strategies agencies are urging clients to embrace

Storyscaping: crafting long-term brand narratives

Media automation and the fragmentation of marketing platforms are causing brands to spiral into a tizzy. There are so many ways to reach consumers and tactics such as native, programmatic, SMS messaging, and content are pulling marketing departments in different narrative directions. Agencies are tasked with reigning in all of the chaos and urging clients to focus on holistic brand narratives. Every marketing message on every platform through every delivery system must relate back to a sound story. Long-term brand narratives and identities have proven to be the main way brands stand the test of time. Many companies are on the precipice of losing their personas due to fractured digital marketing messaging.

The communication to commerce continuum: connecting user experiences to the purchase path

Creativity is having a very good decade in the marketing world. Technology has birthed a new era of graphic design and development opportunities that brands are eager to explore. Everyone wants the coolest app, the most fluid digital user experience, and hottest online presence. It's easy to forget that every action must be connected to the consumer path to purchase. Sales drive revenue and revenue drives profit. The only way sales grow year after year is by introducing new pathways to consumers for purchases. User experiences can't just be cool and unique. They must always carry the goal of creating sales conversions.

Alan Schulman, VP of global digital marketing and brand content for SapientNitro NY speaks to iMedia about what he is advising clients to focus on today and why agencies need to rebrand themselves as strategic brand partners to guide clients through this cluttered digital environment.